Efficient parallelization of a regional ocean model for the western Mediterranean Sea

This paper focuses on the parallelization of an ocean model applying current multicore processor-based cluster architectures to an irregular computational mesh. The aim is to maximize the efficiency of the computational resources used. To make the best use of the resources offered by these architectures, this parallelization has been addressed at all the hardware levels of modern supercomputers: firstly, exploiting the internal parallelism of the CPU through vectorization; secondly, taking advantage of the multiple cores of each node using OpenMP; and finally, using the cluster nodes to distribute the computational mesh, using MPI for communication within the nodes. The speedup obtained with each parallelization technique as well as the combined overall speedup have been measured for the western Mediterranean Sea for different cluster configurations, achieving a speedup factor of 73.3 using 256 processors. The results also show the efficiency achieved in the different cluster nodes and the advantages obtained by combining OpenMP and MPI versus using only OpenMP or MPI. Finally, the scalability of the model has been analysed by examining computation and communication times as well as the communication and synchronization overhead due to parallelization.

Changes in the governance system for higher education in Peru to meet the challenges of the 21st century

The competition in markets, the distribution of limited resources based on productivity and performance, and the efficient management of universities are changing the criteria of trust and legitimacy of the educational system in Peru. Universities are perceived more as institutions of the public sector, while the services they offer must rather contribute to the modernization of the emerging society and the knowledge economy. Higher Educations reforms - initiated in the 1980s - have been inspired by the successful university organizations that have managed to change their governance and addressed to transform certain bureaucratic institutions into organizations capable of playing active role in this global competition for resources and best talent. Within this context, Peruvian universities are facing two major challenges: adapting themselves to new global perspectives and being able to develop a better response to society demands, needs and expectations. This article proposes a model of governance system for higher education in Peru that gives a comprehensive solution to these challenges, allowing dealing with the problems of universities for their development and inclusion within the global trends. For this purpose, a holistic and qualitative methodologic approach was developed, considering an integrated method which considered educational reality as a whole, understanding its facts, components and elements that affects its outcomes. It is proposed to define a policy for university education in Peru that permeates society, by changing the planning model from a social reform model to a policy analysis model, where the Peruvian State acts as sole responsible for responding to the demanding society as its legal representative complemented with some external and independent bodies that define the basis of best practice, as it is being done in many university models worldwide.

Aprendizaje integrado en arquitectura con modelos virtuales : implementación de metodología BIM en la docencia universitaria

Los procesos de diseño y construcción en Arquitectura han mostrado un desarrollo de optimización históricamente muy deficiente cuando se compara con las restantes actividades típicamente industriales. La aspiración constante a una industrialización efectiva, tanto en aras de alcanzar mayores cotas de calidad así como de ahorro de recursos, recibe hoy una oportunidad inmejorable desde el ámbito informático: el Building Information Modelling o BIM. Lo que en un inicio puede parecer meramente un determinado tipo de programa informático, en realidad supone un concepto de “proceso” que subvierte muchas rutinas hoy habituales en el desarrollo de proyectos y construcciones arquitectónicas. La inclusión y desarrollo de datos ligados al proyecto, desde su inicio hasta el fin de su ciclo de vida, conlleva la oportunidad de crear una realidad virtual dinámica y actualizable, que por añadidura posibilita su ensayo y optimización en todos sus aspectos: antes y durante su ejecución, así como vida útil. A ello se suma la oportunidad de transmitir eficientemente los datos completos de proyecto, sin apenas pérdidas o reelaboración, a la cadena de fabricación, lo que facilita el paso a una industrialización verdaderamente significativa en edificación. Ante una llamada mundial a la optimización de recursos y el interés indudable de aumentar beneficios económicos por medio de la reducción del factor de incertidumbre de los procesos, BIM supone un opción de mejora indudable, y así ha sido reconocido a través de la inminente implantación obligatoria por parte de los gobiernos (p. ej. Gran Bretaña en 2016 y España en 2018). La modificación de procesos y roles profesionales que conlleva la incorporación de BIM resulta muy significativa y marcará el ejercicio profesional de los futuros graduados en las disciplinas de Arquitectura, Ingeniería y Construcción (AEC por sus siglas en inglés). La universidad debe responder ágilmente a estas nuevas necesidades incorporando esta metodología en la enseñanza reglada y aportando una visión sinérgica que permita extraer los beneficios formativos subyacentes en el propio marco BIM. En este sentido BIM, al aglutinar el conjunto de datos sobre un único modelo virtual, ofrece un potencial singularmente interesante. La realidad tridimensional del modelo, desarrollada y actualizada continuamente, ofrece al estudiante una gestión radicalmente distinta de la representación gráfica, en la que las vistas parciales de secciones y plantas, tan complejas de asimilar en los inicios de la formación universitaria, resultan en una mera petición a posteriori, para ser extraída según necesidad del modelo virtual. El diseño se realiza siempre sobre el propio modelo único, independientemente de la vista de trabajo elegida en cada momento, permaneciendo los datos y sus relaciones constructivas siempre actualizados y plenamente coherentes. Esta descripción condensada de características de BIM preconfiguran gran parte de las beneficios formativos que ofrecen los procesos BIM, en especial, en referencia al desarrollo del diseño integrado y la gestión de la información (incluyendo TIC). Destacan a su vez las facilidades en comprensión visual de elementos arquitectónicos, sistemas técnicos, sus relaciones intrínsecas así como procesos constructivos. A ello se une el desarrollo experimental que la plataforma BIM ofrece a través de sus software colaborativos: la simulación del comportamiento estructural, energético, económico, entre otros muchos, del modelo virtual en base a los datos inherentes del proyecto. En la presente tesis se describe un estudio de conjunto para explicitar tanto las cualidades como posibles reservas en el uso de procesos BIM, en el marco de una disciplina concreta: la docencia de la Arquitectura. Para ello se ha realizado una revisión bibliográfica general sobre BIM y específica sobre docencia en Arquitectura, así como analizado las experiencias de distintos grupos de interés en el marco concreto de la enseñanza de la en Arquitectura en la Universidad Europea de Madrid. El análisis de beneficios o reservas respecto al uso de BIM se ha enfocado a través de la encuesta a estudiantes y la entrevista a profesionales AEC relacionados o no con BIM. Las conclusiones del estudio permiten sintetizar una implantación de metodología BIM que para mayor claridad y facilidad de comunicación y manejo, se ha volcado en un Marco de Implantación eminentemente gráfico. En él se orienta sobre las acciones docentes para el desarrollo de competencias concretas, valiéndose de la flexibilidad conceptual de los Planes de Estudio en el contexto del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (Declaración de Bolonia) para incorporar con naturalidad la nueva herramienta docente al servicio de los objetivos formativo legalmente establecidos. El enfoque global del Marco de Implementación propuesto facilita la planificación de acciones formativas con perspectiva de conjunto: combinar los formatos puntuales o vehiculares BIM, establecer sinergias transversales y armonizar recursos, de modo que la metodología pueda beneficiar tanto la asimilación de conocimientos y habilidades establecidas para el título, como el propio flujo de aprendizaje o learn flow BIM. Del mismo modo reserva, incluso visualmente, aquellas áreas de conocimiento en las que, al menos en la planificación actual, la inclusión de procesos BIM no se considera ventajosa respecto a otras metodologías, o incluso inadecuadas para los objetivos docentes establecidos. Y es esta última categorización la que caracteriza el conjunto de conclusiones de esta investigación, centrada en: 1. la incuestionable necesidad de formar en conceptos y procesos BIM desde etapas muy iniciales de la formación universitaria en Arquitectura, 2. los beneficios formativos adicionales que aporta BIM en el desarrollo de competencias muy diversas contempladas en el currículum académico y 3. la especificidad del rol profesional del arquitecto que exigirá una implantación cuidadosa y ponderada de BIM que respete las metodologías de desarrollo creativo tradicionalmente efectivas, y aporte valor en una reorientación simbiótica con el diseño paramétrico y fabricación digital que permita un diseño finalmente generativo. ABSTRACT The traditional architectural design and construction procedures have proven to be deficient where process optimization is concerned, particularly when compared to other common industrial activities. The ever‐growing strife to achieve effective industrialization, both in favor of reaching greater quality levels as well as sustainable management of resources, has a better chance today than ever through a mean out of the realm of information technology, the Building Information Modelling o BIM. What may initially seem to be merely another computer program, in reality turns out to be a “process” concept that subverts many of today’s routines in architectural design and construction. Including and working with project data from the very beginning to the end of its full life cycle allows for creating a dynamic and updatable virtual reality, enabling data testing and optimizing throughout: before and during execution, all the way to the end of its lifespan. In addition, there is an opportunity to transmit complete project data efficiently, with hardly any loss or redeveloping of the manufacture chain required, which facilitates attaining a truly significant industrialization within the construction industry. In the presence of a world‐wide call for optimizing resources, along with an undeniable interest in increasing economic benefits through reducing uncertainty factors in its processes, BIM undoubtedly offers a chance for improvement as acknowledged by its imminent and mandatory implementation on the part of governments (for example United Kingdom in 2016 and Spain in 2018). The changes involved in professional roles and procedures upon incorporating BIM are highly significant and will set the course for future graduates of Architecture, Engineering and Construction disciplines (AEC) within their professions. Higher Education must respond to such needs with swiftness by incorporating this methodology into their educational standards and providing a synergetic vision that focuses on the underlying educational benefits inherent in the BIM framework. In this respect, BIM, in gathering data set under one single virtual model, offers a uniquely interesting potential. The three‐dimensional reality of the model, under continuous development and updating, provides students with a radically different graphic environment, in which partial views of elevation, section or plan that tend characteristically to be difficult to assimilate at the beginning of their studies, become mere post hoc requests to be ordered when needed directly out the virtual model. The design is always carried out on the sole model itself, independently of the working view chosen at any particular moment, with all data and data relations within construction permanently updated and fully coherent. This condensed description of the features of BIM begin to shape an important part of the educational benefits posed by BIM processes, particularly in reference to integrated design development and information management (including ITC). At the same time, it highlights the ease with which visual understanding is achieved regarding architectural elements, technology systems, their intrinsic relationships, and construction processes. In addition to this, there is the experimental development the BIM platform grants through its collaborative software: simulation of structural, energetic, and economic behavior, among others, of the virtual model according to the data inherent to the project. This doctoral dissertation presents a broad study including a wide array of research methods and issues in order to specify both the virtues and possible reservations in the use of BIM processes within the framework of a specific discipline: teaching Architecture. To do so, a literature review on BIM has been carried out, specifically concerning teaching in the discipline of Architecture, as well as an analysis of the experience of different groups of interest delimited to Universidad Europea de Madrid. The analysis of the benefits and/or limitations of using BIM has been approached through student surveys and interviews with professionals from the AEC sector, associated or not, with BIM. Various diverse educational experiences are described and academic management for experimental implementation has been analyzed. The conclusions of this study offer a synthesis for a Framework of Implementation of BIM methodology, which in order to reach greater clarity, communication ease and user‐friendliness, have been posed in an eminently graphic manner. The proposed framework proffers guidance on teaching methods conducive to the development of specific skills, taking advantage of the conceptual flexibility of the European Higher Education Area guidelines based on competencies, which naturally facilitate for the incorporation of this new teaching tool to achieve the educational objectives established by law. The global approach of the Implementation Framework put forth in this study facilitates the planning of educational actions within a common perspective: combining exceptional or vehicular BIM formats, establishing cross‐disciplinary synergies, and sharing resources, so as to purport a methodology that contributes to the assimilation of knowledge and pre‐defined competencies within the degree program, and to the flow of learning itself. At the same time, it reserves, even visually, those areas of knowledge in which the use of BIM processes is not considered necessarily an advantage over other methodologies, or even inadequate for the learning outcomes established, at least where current planning is concerned. It is this last category which characterizes the research conclusions as a whole, centering on: 1. The unquestionable need for teaching BIM concepts and processes in Architecture very early on, in the initial stages of higher education; 2. The additional educational benefits that BIM offers in a varied array of competency development within the academic curriculum; and 3. The specific nature of the professional role of the Architect, which demands a careful and balanced implementation of BIM that respects the traditional teaching methodologies that have proven effective and creative, and adds value by a symbiotic reorientation merged with parametric design and digital manufacturing so to enable for a finally generative design.

Un nuevo sistema de gobernanza para afrontar los retos del siglo XXI en la educación universitaria en Perú basado en el modelo de análisis de políticas

Un nuevo sistema de gobernanza para afrontar los retos del siglo XXI en la educación universitaria en Perú basado en el modelo de análisis de políticas, surge de observar el efecto de la competencia en los mercados, de la distribución de los escasos recursos según productividad y rendimiento, y de la gestión ineficiente de las universidades ya que estos parámetros están cambiando los criterios de confianza y legitimidad del sistema universitario en Perú. Las universidades se perciben más como instituciones del sector público, mientras que los servicios que ofrecen deben más bien contribuir a la modernización de la sociedad emergente y a la economía del conocimiento. Las reformas universitarias- iniciadas en los años 80 - han estado inspiradas en las organizaciones universitarias exitosas que han logrado modificar su gobernanza y van dirigidas a transformar ciertas instituciones burocráticas en organizaciones capaces de desempeñar la función de actores en esta competición global por los recursos y los mejores talentos. En este contexto, la universidad peruana se enfrenta a dos grandes desafíos: el de adaptarse a las nuevas perspectivas mundiales, y el poder dar mejor respuesta a las demandas, necesidades y expectativas de la sociedad. Un cambio en el sistema de gobernanza para la educación superior universitaria dará una solución integral a estos desafíos permitiéndole enfrentar los problemas de la universidad para su desarrollo e inserción en las corrientes mundiales. La metodología planteada en la investigación es cualitativa parte del análisis de la realidad como un TODO, sin reducirlos a sus partes integrantes, con la interpretación de los hechos, buscando entender las variables que intervienen. Se propone una política para la educación universitaria en Perú que se permeabilice a la sociedad, cambiando el modelo de planificación de un modelo de reforma social a un modelo de análisis de políticas, donde el Estado Peruano actúe como único responsable de responder a la sociedad demandante como su representante legal, y con unos organismo externo e independiente que siente las bases de la práctica, como se está haciendo en muchos modelos universitarios del mundo. Esta investigación presenta una primera fase conceptual, que aborda la evolución histórica de las universidades en el Perú, analizando y clarificando las fuerzas impulsoras a través del tiempo y distinguir las principales líneas que le imprimen dirección y sentido a los cambios de una realidad educativa universitaria. Así mismo, en esta fase se hace un análisis de la situación actual de las universidades en el Perú para llegar a determinar en qué situación se encuentra y si está preparada para enfrentar los retos de la educación universitaria mundial, para esto se analizan los modelos universitarios de mayor prestigio en el mundo. El marco teórico anterior permite sentar, en una segunda fase de la investigación, las bases científicas del modelo que se propone: el modelo de planificación de análisis de políticas para el sistema universitario peruano. Este modelo de ámbito público propuesto para la educación universitaria peruana basa su estrategia en un modelo de planificación con un objetivo común: “Mejorar la calidad de la educación superior universitaria peruana con el fin de aumentar la empleabilidad y la movilidad de los ciudadanos así como la competitividad internacional de la educación universitaria en Perú”, y con unas líneas de acción concretadas en cuatro objetivos específicos: 1) competencias (genéricas y específicas de las áreas temáticas); 2) enfoques de enseñanza, aprendizaje y evaluación; 3) créditos académicos; 4) calidad de los programa. Así como los fundamentos metodológicos del modelo de análisis de políticas, utilizado como estructura política, teniendo en cuenta las características básicas del modelo: a) Planificación desde arriba; b) Se centra en la toma de decisiones; c) Separación entre conocimiento experto y decisión; d) El estudio de los resultados orienta el proceso decisor. Finalmente, se analiza una fase de validación del modelo propuesto para la educación superior universitaria peruana, con los avances ya realizados en Perú en temas de educación superior, como es, el actual contexto de la nueva Ley Universitaria N°30220 promulgada el 8 de julio de 2014, la creación del SUNEDU y la reorganización del SINEACE, que tienen como propósito atender la crisis universitaria centrada en tres ejes principales incluidos en la ley, considerados como bases para una reforma. Primero, el Estado asume la rectoría de las políticas educativas en todos los niveles educativos. El segundo aspecto consiste en instalar un mecanismo de regulación de la calidad que junto con la reestructuración de aquellos otros existentes debieran sentar las bases para que las familias y estudiantes tengan la garantía pública de que el servicio que se ofrece, sin importar sus características particulares, presenten un mínimo común de calidad y un tercer aspecto es que la ley se reafirma en que la universidad es un espacio de construcción de conocimiento basado en la investigación y la formación integral. Las finalidades, la estructura y organización, las formas de graduación, las características del cuerpo docente, la obligatoriedad por los estudios generales, etc., indican que la reflexión académica es el centro articulador de la vida universitaria. Esta validación también se ha confrontado con los resultados de las entrevistas cualitativas a juicio de experto que se han realizado a rectores de universidades públicas y privadas así como a rectores miembros de la ex ANR, miembros de organizaciones como CONCYTEC, IEP, CNE, CONEAU, ICACIT e investigadores en educación superior, con la finalidad de analizar la sostenibilidad del modelo propuesto en el tiempo. Los resultados evidencian, que en el sistema universitario peruano se puede implementar un cambio hacía un modelo de educación superior universitaria, con una política educativa que se base en un objetivo común claramente definido, un calendario para lograrlo y un conjunto objetivos específicos, con un cambio de estructura política de reforma social a un modelo de análisis de políticas. Así mismo se muestran los distintos aspectos que los interesados en la educación superior universitaria deben considerar, si se quiere ocupar un espacio en el futuro y si interesa que la universidad peruana pueda contribuir para que la sociedad se forje caminos posibles a través de una buena docencia que se refleje en su investigación, con alumnos internacionales, sobre todo, en los postgrados; con un investigación que se traduzca en publicaciones, patentes, etc., de impacto mundial, con relevancia en la sociedad porque contribuye a su desarrollo, concretándose en trabajos de muy diversos tipos, promovidos junto con empresas, gobiernos en sus diversos niveles, instituciones públicas o privadas, etc., para que aporten financiación a la universidad. ABSTRACT A new system of governance to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century university education in Peru based on the model of policy analysis, comes to observe the effect of market competition, distribution of scarce resources according to productivity and performance, and inefficient management of universities as these parameters are changing the criteria of trust and legitimacy of the university system in Peru. Universities are perceived more as public sector institutions, while the services provided should rather contribute to the modernization of society and the emerging knowledge economy. The-university reforms initiated in the 80s - have been inspired by successful university organizations that have succeeded in changing its governance and as attempting to transform certain bureaucratic institutions into organizations that act as actors in this global competition for resources and top talent. In this context, the Peruvian university faces two major challenges: to adapt to the new global outlook, and to better respond to the demands, needs and expectations of society. A change in the system of governance for university education give a comprehensive solution to address these challenges by allowing the problems of the university development and integration into global flows. The methodology proposed in this research is qualitative part of the analysis of reality as a whole, without reducing them to their constituent parts, with the interpretation of the facts, seeking to understand the variables involved. a policy for university education in Peru that permeabilizes society is proposed changing the planning model of a model of social reform a model of policy analysis, where the Peruvian State to act as the sole responsible for responding to the applicant as its legal representative, and with external and independent body that provides the basis of practice, as is being done in many university models in the world. This research presents an initial conceptual phase, which deals with the historical development of universities in Peru, analyzing and clarifying the driving forces over time and distinguish the main lines that give direction and meaning to changes in university educational reality. Also, at this stage an analysis of the current situation of universities in Peru is done to be able to determine what the situation is and whether it is prepared to meet the challenges of the global higher education, for this university models are analyzed most prestigious in the world. The above theoretical framework allows to lay in a second phase of research, the scientific basis of the model proposed: the planning model of policy analysis for the Peruvian university system. This proposed model of public sphere for the Peruvian college bases its strategy on a planning model with a common goal: "To improve the quality of the Peruvian university education in order to enhance the employability and mobility of citizens and the international competitiveness of higher education in Peru ", and lines of action materialized in four specific objectives: 1) competences (generic and specific subject areas); 2) approaches to teaching, learning and assessment; 3) credits; 4) quality of the program. As well as the methodological foundations of policy analysis model, used as political structure, taking into account the basic characteristics of the model: a) Planning from above; b) focuses on decision making; c) Separation between expertise and decision; d) The study of the results process guides the decision maker. Finally, a validation phase of the proposed Peruvian university higher education, with the progress already made in Peru on issues of higher education model is analyzed, as is the current context of the new University Law No. 30220 promulgated on July 8 2014, the creation of SUNEDU and reorganization of SINEACE, which are intended to serve the university crisis centered on three main areas included in the law, considered as the basis for reform. First, the State assumes the stewardship of education policies at all educational levels. The second aspect is to install a mechanism for regulating the quality along with the restructuring of those existing ones should lay the foundation for families and students to guarantee that public service is offered, regardless of their individual characteristics, are of common minimum quality and a third aspect is that the law reaffirms that the university is building a space of research-based knowledge and comprehensive training. The aims, structure and organization, forms of graduation, faculty characteristics, the requirement for the general studies, etc., indicate that the academic reflection is the coordinating center of university life. This validation has also been confronted with the results of qualitative interviews with expert judgment that has been made to directors of public and private universities as well as leading members of the former ANR members of organizations like CONCYTEC, IEP, CNE, CONEAU, ICACIT and researchers in higher education, in order to analyze the sustainability of the proposed model in time. The results show, that the Peruvian university system can implement a change to a model of university education, an educational policy based on clearly defined common goal, a timetable for achieving specific objectives set and, with a change social policy structure to a model of reform policy analysis. It also shows the various aspects that those interested in university education should consider, if you want to occupy a space in the future and if interested in the Peruvian university can contribute to society possible paths is forged through research good teaching, international students, especially in graduate programs; with research that results in publications, patents, etc., global impact, relevance to society because it contributes to their development taking shape in very different types of jobs, promoted with businesses, governments at various levels, public institutions or private, etc., to provide funding to the university.

Multi-textured 3D humanoid reconstruction through passive and active automatic techniques = Reconstrucción de humanoides 3D multi-texturados mediante técnicas pasivas y activas automáticas

The proliferation of video games and other applications of computer graphics in everyday life demands a much easier way to create animatable virtual human characters. Traditionally, this has been the job of highly skilled artists and animators that painstakingly model, rig and animate their avatars, and usually have to tune them for each application and transmission/rendering platform. The emergence of virtual/mixed reality environments also calls for practical and costeffective ways to produce custom models of actual people. The purpose of the present dissertation is bringing 3D human scanning closer to the average user. For this, two different techniques are presented, one passive and one active. The first one is a fully automatic system for generating statically multi-textured avatars of real people captured with several standard cameras. Our system uses a state-of-the-art shape from silhouette technique to retrieve the shape of subject. However, to deal with the lack of detail that is common in the facial region for these kind of techniques, which do not handle concavities correctly, our system proposes an approach to improve the quality of this region. This face enhancement technique uses a generic facial model which is transformed according to the specific facial features of the subject. Moreover, this system features a novel technique for generating view-independent texture atlases computed from the original images. This static multi-texturing system yields a seamless texture atlas calculated by combining the color information from several photos. We suppress the color seams due to image misalignments and irregular lighting conditions that multi-texturing approaches typically suffer from, while minimizing the blurring effect introduced by color blending techniques. The second technique features a system to retrieve a fully animatable 3D model of a human using a commercial depth sensor. Differently to other approaches in the current state of the art, our system does not require the user to be completely still through the scanning process, and neither the depth sensor is moved around the subject to cover all its surface. Instead, the depth sensor remains static and the skeleton tracking information is used to compensate the user’s movements during the scanning stage. RESUMEN La popularización de videojuegos y otras aplicaciones de los gráficos por ordenador en el día a día requiere una manera más sencilla de crear modelos virtuales humanos animables. Tradicionalmente, estos modelos han sido creados por artistas profesionales que cuidadosamente los modelan y animan, y que tienen que adaptar específicamente para cada aplicación y plataforma de transmisión o visualización. La aparición de los entornos de realidad virtual/mixta aumenta incluso más la demanda de técnicas prácticas y baratas para producir modelos 3D representando personas reales. El objetivo de esta tesis es acercar el escaneo de humanos en 3D al usuario medio. Para ello, se presentan dos técnicas diferentes, una pasiva y una activa. La primera es un sistema automático para generar avatares multi-texturizados de personas reales mediante una serie de cámaras comunes. Nuestro sistema usa técnicas del estado del arte basadas en shape from silhouette para extraer la forma del sujeto a escanear. Sin embargo, este tipo de técnicas no gestiona las concavidades correctamente, por lo que nuestro sistema propone una manera de incrementar la calidad en una región del modelo que se ve especialmente afectada: la cara. Esta técnica de mejora facial usa un modelo 3D genérico de una cara y lo modifica según los rasgos faciales específicos del sujeto. Además, el sistema incluye una novedosa técnica para generar un atlas de textura a partir de las imágenes capturadas. Este sistema de multi-texturización consigue un atlas de textura sin transiciones abruptas de color gracias a su manera de mezclar la información de color de varias imágenes sobre cada triángulo. Todas las costuras y discontinuidades de color debidas a las condiciones de iluminación irregulares son eliminadas, minimizando el efecto de desenfoque de la interpolación que normalmente introducen este tipo de métodos. La segunda técnica presenta un sistema para conseguir un modelo humano 3D completamente animable utilizando un sensor de profundidad. A diferencia de otros métodos del estado de arte, nuestro sistema no requiere que el usuario esté completamente quieto durante el proceso de escaneado, ni mover el sensor alrededor del sujeto para cubrir toda su superficie. Por el contrario, el sensor se mantiene estático y el esqueleto virtual de la persona, que se va siguiendo durante el proceso, se utiliza para compensar sus movimientos durante el escaneado.

YPD™, PombePD™ and WormPD™: model organism volumes of the BioKnowledge™ Library, an integrated resource for protein information

The BioKnowledge Library is a relational database and web site (http://www.proteome.com) composed of protein-specific information collected from the scientific literature. Each Protein Report on the web site summarizes and displays published information about a single protein, including its biochemical function, role in the cell and in the whole organism, localization, mutant phenotype and genetic interactions, regulation, domains and motifs, interactions with other proteins and other relevant data. This report describes four species-specific volumes of the BioKnowledge Library, concerned with the model organisms Saccharo­myces cerevisiae (YPD), Schizosaccharomyces pombe (PombePD) and Caenorhabditis elegans (WormPD), and with the fungal pathogen Candida albicans (CalPD™). Protein Reports of each species are unified in format, easily searchable and extensively cross-referenced between species. The relevance of these comprehensively curated resources to analysis of proteins in other species is discussed, and is illustrated by a survey of model organism proteins that have similarity to human proteins involved in disease.

The Medicago Genome Initiative: a model legume database

The Medicago Genome Initiative (MGI) is a database of EST sequences of the model legume Medicago truncatula. The database is available to the public and has resulted from a collaborative research effort between the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and the National Center for Genome Resources to investigate the genome of M.truncatula. MGI is part of the greater integrated Medicago functional genomics program at the Noble Foundation (http://www.noble .org), which is taking a global approach in studying the genetic and biochemical events associated with the growth, development and environmental interactions of this model legume. Our approach will include: large-scale EST sequencing, gene expression profiling, the generation of M.truncatula activation-tagged and promoter trap insertion mutants, high-throughput metabolic profiling, and proteome studies. These multidisciplinary information pools will be interfaced with one another to provide scientists with an integrated, holistic set of tools to address fundamental questions pertaining to legume biology. The public interface to the MGI database can be accessed at http://www.ncgr.org/research/mgi.

The Research Funding Service: a model for expanded library services

Traditionally, libraries have provided a modest amount of information about grants and funding opportunities to researchers in need of research funding. Ten years ago, the University of Washington (UW) Health Sciences Libraries and Information Center joined in a cooperative effort with the School of Medicine to develop a complete, library-based grant and funding service for health sciences researchers called the Research Funding Service. The library provided space, access to the library collection, equipment, and electronic resources, and the School of Medicine funded staff and operations. The range of services now includes individual consultation appointments, an extensive Web site, classes on funding database searching and writing grant applications, a discussion series that frequently hosts guest speakers, a monthly newsletter with funding opportunities of interest to the six health sciences schools, extensive files on funding sources, and referral services.

Unusual dynamics of extinction in a simple ecological model.

Studies on natural populations and harvesting biological resources have led to the view, commonly held, that (i) populations exhibiting chaotic oscillations run a high risk of extinction; and (ii) a decrease in emigration/exploitation may reduce the risk of extinction. Here we describe a simple ecological model with emigration/depletion that shows behavior in contrast to this. This model displays unusual dynamics of extinction and survival, where populations growing beyond a critical rate can persist within a band of high depletion rates, whereas extinction occurs for lower depletion rates. Though prior to extinction at lower depletion rates the population exhibits chaotic dynamics with large amplitudes of variation and very low minima, at higher depletion rates the population persists at chaos but with reduced variation and increased minima. For still higher values, within the band of persistence, the dynamics show period reversal leading to stability. These results illustrate that chaos does not necessarily lead to population extinction. In addition, the persistence of populations at high depletion rates has important implications in the considerations of strategies for the management of biological resources.

Microevolutionary responses in experimental populations of plants to CO2-enriched environments: parallel results from two model systems.

Despite the critical role that terrestrial vegetation plays in the Earth's carbon cycle, very little is known about the potential evolutionary responses of plants to anthropogenically induced increases in concentrations of atmospheric CO2. We present experimental evidence that rising CO2 concentration may have a direct impact on the genetic composition and diversity of plant populations but is unlikely to result in selection favoring genotypes that exhibit increased productivity in a CO2-enriched atmosphere. Experimental populations of an annual plant (Abutilon theophrasti, velvetleaf) and a temperate forest tree (Betula alleghaniensis, yellow birch) displayed responses to increased CO2 that were both strongly density-dependent and genotype-specific. In competitive stands, a higher concentration of CO2 resulted in pronounced shifts in genetic composition, even though overall CO2-induced productivity enhancements were small. For the annual species, quantitative estimates of response to selection under competition were 3 times higher at the elevated CO2 level. However, genotypes that displayed the highest growth responses to CO2 when grown in the absence of competition did not have the highest fitness in competitive stands. We suggest that increased CO2 intensified interplant competition and that selection favored genotypes with a greater ability to compete for resources other than CO2. Thus, while increased CO2 may enhance rates of selection in populations of competing plants, it is unlikely to result in the evolution of increased CO2 responsiveness or to operate as an important feedback in the global carbon cycle. However, the increased intensity of selection and drift driven by rising CO2 levels may have an impact on the genetic diversity in plant populations.

Stability and sensitivity analysis of Be-CoDiS, an epidemiological model to predict the spread of human diseases between countries. Validation with data from the 2014-16 West African Ebola Virus Disease epidemic.

Ebola virus disease is a lethal human and primate disease that requires a particular attention from the international health authorities due to important recent outbreaks in some Western African countries and isolated cases in European and North-America continents. Regarding the emergency of this situation, various decision tools, such as mathematical models, were developed to assist the authorities to focus their efforts in important factors to eradicate Ebola. In a previous work, we have proposed an original deterministic spatial-temporal model, called Be-CoDiS (Between-Countries Disease Spread), to study the evolution of human diseases within and between countries by taking into consideration the movement of people between geographical areas. This model was validated by considering numerical experiments regarding the 2014-16 West African Ebola Virus Disease epidemic. In this article, we propose to perform a stability analysis of Be-CoDiS. Our first objective is to study the equilibrium states of simplified versions of this model, limited to the cases of one an two countries, and to determine their basic reproduction ratios. Then, in order to give some recommendations for the allocation of resources used to control the disease, we perform a sensitivity analysis of those basic reproduction ratios regarding the model parameters. Finally, we validate the obtained results by considering numerical experiments based on data from the 2014-16 West African Ebola Virus Disease epidemic.

Estrutura organizacional e das tomadas de decisão em Clubes Socioesportivos de São Paulo

As Organizações chamadas de Clubes Sócioesportivos mantém um modelo de administração que as caracteriza, que é a gestão realizada por voluntários e apoiada por gestores profissionais. A literatura aponta que a estrutura organizacional de entidades esportivas é peculiar, especialmente em clubes de futebol, onde persiste a fronteira entre os gestores voluntários que representam o poder executivo e legislativo e os gestores profissionais que são os que controlam e executam o planejamento financeiro e de atividades. No entanto são escassos estudos voltados a Clubes Sócioesportivos. O objetivo do presente estudo foi de identificar, descrever e comparar aspectos do processo de gestão da área de esportes de Clubes Sócioesportivos e analisa-los à luz de teorias e modelos administrativos. A pesquisa teve abordagem qualitativa, sendo realizado estudo de campo junto a seis clubes sócioesportivos da cidade de São Paulo. Para tanto, foram construídos e aplicados dois instrumentos: questionário e entrevista semiestruturada junto aos gestores de esporte das entidades. As informações obtidas foram analisadas comparativamente entre as entidades. Verificou-se que os Clubes utilizam modelos administrativos tradicionais com desenhos organizacionais. O planejamento destas organizações é baseado estritamente no orçamento anual, não havendo um planejamento plurianual ou estratégico. A tomada de decisão tem como alicerce a experiência pessoal do gestor voluntário, apoiada na vivência do gestor profissional. Não foram encontradas técnicas apuradas de tomada de decisão. As decisões mais importantes quanto a administração do Clube mantém um rito de preocupação com as responsabilidades. Os recursos humanos são selecionados pelo gestor profissional com o aval do gestor voluntário mantendo uma linha de contratação coerente e que está voltada a atender as demandas do Clube. Conclui-se que os Clubes estudados apresentam poucos aspectos diferentes do tradicional nas suas administrações, mantém uma estrutura organizacional própria, e os processos de tomada de decisões na área de esportes são fortemente vinculados ao planejamento financeiro

Análise de conflitos de usos múltiplos da água auxiliada por simulação computacional: bacia do rio Sapucaí - Mirim/Grande

Na mesma proporção que fontes de água potável são reduzidas, a competição por elas tem aumentado, conseqüência imediata da expansão de áreas urbanas e de novas demandas agro-industriais. Os conflitos gerados por esta competição tendem a comprometer o desenvolvimento sustentável e o progresso de uma forma geral, uma vez que resultam em perda de eficácia para vultuosos investimentos públicos e privados e em prejuízos para os usuários menos estruturados. Considerando os fatos acima, o objeto deste trabalho é o estabelecimento de cenários de alocação das disponibilidades hídricas entre usuários de água da bacia do Sapucaí-Mirim/Grande, visando determinar a convivência harmoniosa das várias finalidades de uso provenientes do mesmo recurso hídrico. Tal meta poderá ser alcançada através da análise dos indicadores de desempenho - confiabilidade, vulnerabilidade e resiliência - do sistema os quais serão obtidos com o auxílio do modelo de simulação IRAS (Interactive River Aquifer Simulation).

Identifying the role of natural resources in knowledge-based strategies of development

Knowledge has adopted a preferential role in the explanation of development while the evidence about the effect of natural resources in countries’ performance is more controversial in the economic literature. This paper tries to demonstrate that natural resources may positively affect growth in countries with a strong natural resources specialization pattern although the magnitude of these effects depend on the type of resources and on other aspects related to the production and innovation systems. The positive trajectory described by a set of national economies mainly specialized in natural resources and low-tech industries invites us to analyze what is the combination of factors that serves as engine for a sustainable development process. With panel data for the period 1996-2008 we estimate an applied growth model where both traditional factors and other more related to innovation and absorptive capabilities are taken into account. Our empirical findings show that according to the postulates of a knowledge-based approach, a framework that combines physical and intangible factors is more suitable for the definition of development strategies in those prosperous economies dominated by natural resources and connected activities, while the internationalization process of activities and technologies become also a very relevant aspect.

Development of a Strengths-Based Model for Insurance Automobile, Property, and Casualty Claims Operations

ABSTRACT \ Employers know that to have a successful organization, they must have the right people in the right jobs. But how will they know whom to place where? The development of a model based upon an individual's personality traits and strengths, and how to best use them, is a good place to start. Employees working in positions in which their traits and strengths are maximized enjoy work more, are more efficient, and are less apt to be absent or to look for work elsewhere. It is a mutually beneficial process of selection for both employers and employees. This model illustrates the process in an automobile and property insurance claims operation through utilization of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicators and the StrengthsFinder Profiles.